


There Were Ten

by lordhadrian



Series: The Star Wars Saga by Lordhadrian [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Star Wars Setting, Gen, Jedi Training, Master & Padawan Relationship(s), Padawan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-24
Updated: 2015-03-24
Packaged: 2018-03-19 10:02:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,480
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3606066
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lordhadrian/pseuds/lordhadrian
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The First SAGA story written in a basic rough script form.  "There Were Ten" is a 4-part story in a larger 8 story Saga based on the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy.  I wrote this story from 2005-2010, before LucasArts created The Clone Wars TV show.  These 8 stories are simply a re-imagining of Episodes I, II and III.</p><p>This first story takes place two years before the events of "The Phantom Menace" and recounts the adventures of Jedi Master Dooku and a group of 9 Jedi students in secret training.  Dooku is determined to discover the Chosen One of Jedi Prophecy, and he believes one of his 9 students may be the One.</p><p>Dooku and the 9 Students arrive on planet Rhen Var to face their final test in his training, a test that will take them through an ancient door to another world, a world fraught with the dangers of a long dead Sith civilization.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. There Were Ten Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a re-imagining of the Prequel Trilogy, broken down into 8 stories.
> 
> This Saga of 8 stories was written from 2005-2010, before "The Clone Wars" TV show, and does not feature most of the characters from that show except for limited appearances by Ahsoka Tano. The Saga features story arcs involving Traditional Star Wars characters like Obi-wan Kenobi, Dooku, General Grievous, Asajj Ventress, Barriss Offee, and several other characters created for this Saga.
> 
> I think what made this a fun project is that in watching Lucas' new trilogy with 1, 2 and 3, I saw so many possibilities with minor characters and this story has evolved ever since I saw Revenge of the Sith.
> 
> I am especially proud of this Saga I wanted it to be a complete homage to the Prequel Trilogy, and it followed much of the PT canon as closely as I could at the time.
> 
> STAR WARS SAGA
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> One final set of author's notes! Some of the changes in this epic include:
> 
>  
> 
> 1) I tried to write this like a movie script, how I would want it to look as cinema. I hope it's not too confusing to read.
> 
> 2) This is NEARLY a scene for scene remake involving the movies among the stories, so much of the dialogue matches from the films. I tweaked a few things here and there, added, subtracted, put my personal footprints on it, etc. but otherwise, you'll recognize it.
> 
> 3) When an alien is speaking in non-english, their dialogue is translated between the little * * stars. I'll let you use your imagination for that stuff
> 
> 4) There are music links for those who enjoy music while they read, though it is purely optional.
> 
> 5) Anakin is not a kid. He is about 18, and is padawan to Sifo-Dyas. Phantom Menace has been modified to accomodate these changes.
> 
> 6) Not as much focus on Anakin, Padme, R2 and C3PO. This is my attempt at an ensemble piece, and we know their story well enough that I kind of dropped some of their stuff in favor of focusing on other characters.
> 
> 7) C3PO was never built by Anakin. He starts out as Master Dooku's servant droid, a Butler of sorts.
> 
> 8) Nyssa Arachna, a minor character, is a Sith witch from Dathomir, and uses the Force before the changes of Witches using magic.
> 
> 9) Captain Panaka is present throughout the Saga. I saw a lot of interesting things for this character, so I never needed to use Captain Typho.
> 
> 10) Jedi and Sith can become Force Ghosts from discipline and training, as per the old Legends canon.
> 
> 11) The saga explores more of the origins of Grievous, Ventress, and the rise and fall of Master Dooku. It also became a Heroine's journey for Jedi Barriss Offee and an exploration of OC character Conradin Hadranus. Much of the writing happened by following my fingers as they typed, so creating this saga was a journey where I had no idea at the time where the story would go with some characters, but I am happy with the results.
> 
> 12) This saga is not just Star Wars, but an homage to my complete love of Science Fiction. I made sure to throw in many references to other works of Science Fiction. Enjoy spotting them :)
> 
> 13) Count Dooku and Darth Tyranus are 2 two separate people. Tyranus is a dark servant of Plagueis and Dooku is a disillusioned, misguided and manipulated Jedi who never became as villainous as the Dooku of TCW, but he fell to darkness in his own way.
> 
> Tyranus has the powers of invisibility, mind control, and can use the Force to teleport himself in mystical ways. He only appears to certain characters while influencing others from a distance. Of all the characters I wrote for this, his is probably the weakest in development. I used him to cover a variety of plot necessities.
> 
> 14) The Sith come from a dead world that was cast out of the galaxy (pre-Korriban and pre-Dromund Kaas when I wrote this), for all intents and purposes, it is Korriban.
> 
> Plagueis is leader of a dark religious Sith cult that worships order in the form of the beast "Leviathan", while Sidious follows the Sith chaos represented by "Behemoth". i didn't fully explore this religious detail, but I thought it as setting up two opposing philosophies to control the galaxy, an "order versus chaos" kind of thing.
> 
> 15) As a reminder, this Saga is mostly Alternate Universe, and much of the continuity I followed is now Legends. Much of it was written pre-TCW, so there is not much in the way of familiarity with the show.
> 
> Ahsoka was added to the Saga after 2008, but only takes on a minor role since much of the Saga had been completed long before the show established itself, and I wasn't sure how to handle the character, so she mostly has cameos in later stories after first appearing in "AotC".
> 
>  
> 
> Read and enjoy. I welcome any critiques and comments :) It is not a perfect writing, there are weak spots and flaws, but it is a project I have enjoyed writing.

STAR WARS

 

THERE WERE TEN!

 

The reknowned and strongly independent Master Dooku becomes disenchanted with a slow moving Jedi Council, and tires of watching the Republic fall into stagnation and corruption. Risking his reputation and temptation by the dark side, he secretly starts up his own cadre of potential Jedi knights in an attempt to rejuvenate balance in the galaxy. He also hope to be the first to find "The Chosen One" of prophecy.........

The students, having been trained separately, are meeting for the first time.

 

(Story opens with the robust theme music "Conquest of Paradise" by Vangelis https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYeDsa4Tw0c)

The dawn rose sharply across the bleak snow fields of Rhen Var. It was a dry morning, and the flakes fell quietly in their journey. The sun pierced the haze, causing the great temple ruins on the mountainside to glow a bit. The orange-white glow of the sun upon the cyclopian walls and stairways of the great temple radiated a false warmth, and even less truthful appearance of habitation. A herd of tautauns, oddly misplaced, yelped across the quiet snowy tundra. There were ten of them, spurred on by nine short riders and one of towering presence. They were each covered from head to toe in white padding, goggled and scarfed, some with thicker layers of white clothing than the rest. The wind whipped at them as they made casual, almost graceful leaps towards the ancient structure , a wind created more by their haste rather than natural causes.

The snowy ground gave way to more solid yet dangerous terrain-an ice lake. The tautauns hesitated at different paces, but each continued at the varying degrees of encouragement by their riders. The tall rider never slowed in the pacing of the mount. They continued across the solid layer. A rumble underneath them stopped all thoughts of the other end of their journey.

The lead rider halted and waved the others to stop just behind him. The tautauns were now anxious. The riders turned to each other. Though unable to see past the dark goggles for hints of expression, each one no doubt felt apprehension. Apprehension that was rewarded with a sight that might strike terror in lesser beings.

The ice ahead of them erupted with incredible force. The head of the beast gasped from its underwater slumber. It almost had a look of contempt and territorial madness, contempt for these intruders. Big as a bantha, ugly as a hut, its scaly hide shimmered in the light, body warmth encased in layers of fat salvaged through two seasons of eating. The shimmering skin, however, was not enough of a distraction from the two large tusks that the beast seemed fond of displaying. It roared. In moments, it would position itself to charge.

The tall figure, unmoved by the exhibition, signaled the nine while staring less than twenty feet from certain doom. They dismounted quickly. Simultaneously, they launched nine humming sabres to life, a brief chorus that was sweet music to some, horrible to others. To them, it was the hum of necessity and survival. The beast charged.

The nine counter-charged, swinging a rainbow of colorful blades. Death in many shades of blue, green, orange, and even white blades. Three jumped to the left of the beast. Three stood in front of the tall figure. One brazenly jumped upon the beast with a force-influenced jump. One slipped and fell in place while the last to move hesitated before running straightforward. Though it all seemed very clumsy in the first three seconds, the nine quickly began coordinating their attacks to confuse the beast.

The beast shook its head violently to throw off the fighter clutching its wet mane of dull yellow hair, but was caught off balance by the combined force pulls of the others surrounding it. A thunderous crash shakes the bed of ice furiously as the clumsy monster lands on its side. The warrior on top leaps away, landing on their feet, maintaining balance in disharmonious surroundings. Some of the others are not so lucky, losing their footing. One in particular moves quite sluggishly, and is almost decapitated by one of the beast's anxious tusks. The figure musters enough strength to sear the ivory tooth with a quick slash, letting it fall before the defeated hulk of a mammal. With varying degrees of swiftness, ranging from elegance to absurd clumsiness, they overcome the beast. Most of the injuries lay more in their pride than in physical wounds. The beast collapses under its own blubber, groaning a few breaths before it succumbs to its end.

The tall figure signals the rest to mount up. After a few seconds of sudden weariness, they finish the short trek to the temple. The Tautauns wait at the bottom of the great ziggurat of winding stairs as the ten ascend to better heights.

So many stairs. Some lead to open spaces, once having been sacred chambers or rooms of religious preparation. Some stairs entangle with each other to go further up in a Babylonian maze of direction. Ever upward they climbed, faintly realizing that the stairs were wide, nearly twenty, thirty feet in length. Very grand they must have been two or three thousand years ago, yet the Force was strong there. The ten could almost feel past shadows with them, past memories that almost yielded whispers of greatness, tragedy, secret romantic liasons, and terrible battles fought on these very steps. The violent tremors in the force warned of a long history of misdeeds and betrayals, but also celebrated energetic triumphs and the great comaraderie of close friends now long dead. The snow fall grew heavier, but the air was peaceful.

The ten strode past the mighty scarred bronze doors, into a surprisingly well lit sanctuary near the top. Parts of the roof were gone, but the great hall was enclosed with a sense of intimacy despite its size. Ithorian columns, marked of exquisite design, lined up at attention, hailing in the Ten like conquering heroes. There was genuine warmth here, enough to allow the tall figure to finally unmask his face.

Master Dooku turned to face the nine. His features, gray and wise, gave no expressions except a commanding satisfaction, knowledge that an old journey has ended, but a new journey was about to begin. The nine sat before him, almost reverently. A dignified imitation worship in a place of worship, without mockery. The nine sat but stayed covered, quietly trying to breath in the fresh scented air. Fresh air that gave relief to their stuffy protective layers.

(Dooku slowly paced in front of them with a slightly bemused but stern look.)

Dooku: If what I had witnessed were a holovid comedy, it would no doubt receive rave reviews from the media and other such non-talents. I would almost say you all missed your calling. For a gungan circus, it would be....how do they put it?.....'Bombad'. However, as a life or death struggle with a bull-male of such size......it was nearly pathetic.

His voice was calm but had a condescending tone.

Dooku: You were uncoordinated, only a few of you adapted to the scenario quickly. There was no sense of team strategy, no insight into your opponent's strengths and weaknesses. Just HARUMPH! Charge right in and pray you hit something! Even though you are working together for the first time, it is no excuse to not be fully coordinated.

(He turned to the nearest student.)

Dooku: You must learn to adapt to all environments and use your fullest abilities. Otherwise, you are a hinderance. Your spawn father needs you to be a strong warrior for all seasons.

(He turned to another)

Dooku: You must focus with the force to keep your balance in all things. You were the last to engage the enemy.....

(He goes to another and puts his hand on the young student's shoulder)

Dooku: I think it is quite ironic that the one with the greatest weakness outshines those with their fullest senses.....You did particularly well today.

(Dooku's tone became more soothing at this point as he faces all of them)

Dooku: You are all excellent students, the best of many padawans I have trained. Never forget that. But today you will need to focus all of your concentration, and truly trust in the force. Today, I teach you to face elements of the Dark side.......

(Silence fell upon them all as they listened. C3PO, Dooku's servant droid, entered the hall quietly with a tray of warm drinks.)

Dooku: All of you, drink. Sustain yourselves, for today you will face a great test to further your training. Today might even prove fatal for those who are.....unworthy.....

(The students got up to take their drinks. They sat down on their knees and sipped quietly under the heavy protection of their scarves and goggles. Dooku walked to the far wall, behind an ancient throne of crumbling marble)

Dooku: One of the greatest secrets of this temple is that not only does it have 4,000 years of illustrious Jedi history.....it is, in fact, far older.......

(He pulls out a small ornate stone, placing it in a spot on the wall. The wall opens with a strained groaning noise, revealing a secret passage to places unseen)

Dooku: This site used to house a dimensional portal of the now extinct Kwa, a race of lizards, a race that traveled the stars many millenia before there were ever any Jedi. These dimensional portals took them across the galaxy, maybe even across galaxies. Today.....*you* will be the first beings to step through this eldritch door in thousands of years.....

(The padawans look at each other. Though they are covered up and cannot see each other, they all sense fear and excitement in the air. Dooku turns to the student he complimented a moment before)

Dooku: Though you are blind, Vlad, I wish for you to lead the others into the darkness. Where this path leads, I cannot say, except here you will face your deadliest foe......yourselves. May the Force be with you....always.....

(Vlad takes off his head gear. To the other student's surprise, they see him to be a young man with light brown hair and fair features. He also wears a blindfold around his head, covering his eyes.)

Vlad: It will be my honor, Master.

(The students stand up and prepare themselves. Dooku silently ushers them to the door. They walk in, following the blind padawan Vlad. POV cuts to a place of complete darkness as Dooku closes the door behind them. Several light up their sabres, revealing a long tight corridor slanting down. They walk for several long minutes. The quiet makes them feel awkward, yet no one wants to be the first to speak up, until the tallest padawan unveils herself, revealing an attractive, confident girl letting loose her long brown hair)

Septime: We should stay close together. I'll take the point.

Vlad: Take the point, but be careful. This ground is uneven.

(The others unravel themselves. One of them, A young Troxan Zabrak, speaks haughtily. He is stern looking, a humanoid with four small horns on his forehead)

Kurwa: Am I to understand you are blind??

Vlad: It is observant of you to notice. I have been blind since birth.

Kurwa: And you just let a girl take charge, let her go forward?!

(Septime is taken aback by his sudden burst)

Septime: Why don't you relax?

(A third person steps forward, a tall, lanky pale humanoid Utapauan named Paleo-Logus. He walks very stiffly up to Kurwa)

Paleo-Logus: Remember Master Dooku's words. Let's continue on. The test lies forward, not here in the dark......

Kurwa: All I'm saying is maybe we shouldn't have....you know....a *girl* leading us

(Septime looks at Vlad. He frowns with discomfort)

Septime: What is it, Vlad?

Vlad: I'm not sure......My imagination, perhaps. Let's stick close together!

(Septime and Kurwa lock eyes for a second, but quietly agree to move on when Paleo-Logus clears his throat. They walk until they reach a large glowing portal set in the stone wall before them. All of them bask in the glow and become visible to each other. A youthful human boy speaks up. He has well groomed thick light brown hair)

Hadranus: I think we'd better obey Master Dooku's advice about coordinating ourselves. I can't think of a better way than to just start off introductions.

Vlad: Good idea.

Hadranus: I am Conradin Hadranus of Achilleas......

(One by one, they form a circle to finally meet each other. Next to Conradin was a short Geonosian boy, a sort of sentient termite)

Poggle: (Speaking in clicks and whistles) *Poggle the Third, son of Royal Satrap Poggle the Lesser of Geonosis.*

(Next to him, the male Zabrak)

Kurwa: Baron Kurwa Napes of Troxar.

(Followed by a scary looking pale-skinned girl with cat eyes and dull silvery blonde hair in a long ponytail. Her smile makes everyone uncomfortable)

Nyssa: Nyssa Arachna. I'm from Dathomir.

(A couple of the students gasp. She has all the tattoo markings on her arms of a young Sith witch. The young bright blue Rodian next to her inches away from her slowly as he talks. Rodians are like the "Greedo" character from Episode IV)

Baga: *Baga Breano. I'm....from Alderaan.*

(The tall brown haired girl is next to him)

Septime: Lady Septime of the royal court on Naboo.

(A Quarren with short tentacles on his face stands next to her)

Sunaj: Sunaj okk of Mon Calamar.

(Next is another young female. She is barely 5' tall with a bit of a goth look and short black hair. Thin blue tattoos lightly adorn her face)

Aviva: Aviva Motaru of Nar Shadaa.

(The blind boy Vlad speaks up next)

Vlad: Lietenant Vlad Pharis.......of Vjun.

(The mention of Vjun causes a few frowns. the lanky Paleo-logus goes next)

Paleo-Logus: Thane Paleo-Logus of Utapau. I think our destiny lies beyond this door.

Kurwa: Let's not be hasty.....

Hadranus: I'm afraid he's right. We cannot go back. This is it.....*sigh*.....

Septime: What's wrong?

Hadranus: I really hate to say it, but I've got a bad feeling about this. Vlad?

Vlad: I sense it, too. The dark side......

Sunaj: Stick together.

Septime: It is part of our test. Be careful......

(One by one, they step through the blueish portal. Conradin and Poggle are the last to step through. They feel the portal as if water were splashed onto their faces. They sense a great distance pass as they step foot into a new, dark world)

Paleo-Logus: Amazing......

(They are outdoors, on top of a hill, surrounded by ancient ruins. It is the ruins of a long dead civilization, not much more than the occasional pile of bricks, some decrepit walls and a few hollow buildings. The portal shines in the night. Two large full blue moons and a small waning red star dominate the clear sky)

Kurwa: Where ARE we?

Sunaj: I don't recognize these constellations.......

Hadranus: Stick close! Don't stray too far!

Septime: Shhh! Let's not get carried away.

Hadranus: Something about this is wrong.

Poggle: *It's cold here, and dead.*

Sunaj: You're right, Poggle. I do not sense anything living. The race that built this site are long dead.

Kurwa: Look! Over here!

(Kurwa points to a stone altar. On the altar is a small, intricately designed mechanical device)

Aviva: What is it?

Nyssa: It looks like.......*gasp* AMAZING.......

(She almost giggles like a giddy child)

Paleo-Logus: What? What is it, Nyssa?

(Nyssa walks up to it. Though she is afraid to touch it, she smiles)

Nyssa: I've heard about these. In legend. I think it's an unfinished puzzlebox.

Hadranus: Puzzlebox? You mean like a toy?

Septime: Is it dangerous?

Nyssa: Some say it can make all your dreams come true......

(She reaches out to almost touch it. A look of horror crosses Conradin's face)

Hadranus: No.....NO! WAIT!! ALL OF YOU!!

(He becomes agitated as he looks at each of them)

Septime: What's gotten into you!?

Kurwa: NOW what?

Hadranus: Hasn't ANYBODY noticed??

Baga: *What?*

Hadranus: How many of us went through the door? How many of us? Aren't there supposed to be *NINE* of us???

(Everyone freezes and stares at each other. In horror, they all realize.......)

 

THERE WERE TEN


	2. There Were Ten Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Continuing adventures of 9 padawans secretly trained by Jedi Master Dooku. The padawans suddenly discover a 10th person in their midst, an imposter. They face several tests and terrifying encounters on a Dead Sith planet.

THERE WERE TEN

(Kurwa, Conradin, Nyssa and Baga activate their lightsabres immediately)

Poggle: *Pudu!*

(Poggle fumbles for his sabre, lighting it up three seconds later)

Septime: Whoa, whoa WHOA! Let's all back down.....

Sunaj: Yes, by all means......we cannot solve this problem with brute force!

Kurwa: AND yet the truth remains! One of us is an imposter!

(Nyssa smiles)

Nyssa: Well, things are shaping up to be pretty exciting now!

(Everyone looks at her with deep suspicion)

Kurwa: A sith witch from Dathomir. You really aught to watch yourself!

Hadranus: Hey, we don't know if-

Baga: *I'm with Napes. Why should we trust a sith witch? Hello? A SITH WITCH!?*

Nyssa: (chuckles) Cowards. Naturally, I'm the first one you'd suspect. That's why it ISN'T ME!

Hadranus: Well, we know ONE thing is for sure. Poggle is one of the nine. Remember when Dooku chastised us, he mentioned the one student who was part of a spawn....only Geonosians could have a "spawn father".

(Poggle sighs, embarrassed a little, but also relieved that he was not a suspect)

Nyssa: It must suck to have sibling rivalry with a hundred brothers and sisters....

Kurwa: We can also account for Vlad, but it still leaves the rest of us. I, for one, was at the battle on the lake.

(Everyone starts mumbling in agreement)

Sunaj: This is pointless. If we can all recall the battle on the lake, how are we going to find the ONE person who wasn't there!?

Paleo-Logus: For now, it is a moot point. Might I suggest we simply stick together and explore this strange new world?

Septime: Fair enough. Whoever the imposter is will slip up sooner or later.

Hadranus: What the frell, it's just a test anyway. It's not like we're going to end up dying one by one of some stupid non-

(A strange animal noise erupts from a far off distance. Everyone stops, but cannot sense any trace of life. The surface of the world becomes cracked stone as they progress further. Poggle, the shortest person in the group, gravitates to Conradin as he looks around. Sunaj almost seems to pair up with Septime. They walk until they come to small ancient structure, a deserted stone building. Fade to black)

 

(A hour has passed. POV watches from a short distance. The group has settled into the building. They have even set up a fire in the center of the room by stacking their light sabres onto a pile of heated rocks. Though the sabres are at a dim setting so as to not be too bright, they radiate enough heat to keep everyone comfortable. Everyone has been pretty quiet up until this point. They start to relax more and just pass the time with small talk as we pan closer to the conversation)

 

Baga: *......And that's when Dooku approached my family with the offer to train me to be something more. If I hadn't pulled that prank on the 400th floor of the Banking Clan headquarters, nobody would have known my potential. My parents see this as a business deal, pretty much.*

Kurwa: Is that all it is to you?? Don't you want to embrace a legacy of greatness?

(Baga shrugs his shoulders)

Baga: *We're capitalists. I'll probably use my mind powers to an advantage in the family business*

Septime: You really aught to consider the responsibilities of a Jedi. Dooku isn't training us to go rip off people! This isn't a get rich quick scheme, you know.

Baga: *I know. But I'm the only one here who isn't some politician or aristocrat. I think maybe some of you are thinking a little too big about this*

Kurwa: I intend to become a great leader. An administrator for our capital city.

Septime: What about duty to the Jedi order?

Kurwa: That's IF the Jedi ever decide to accept us!

Hadranus: He's right, you know.

(Everyone looks at the young man as he tosses some dead grass on the heated rocks to create a small burst of fire)

Hadranus: We are a secret project because the Jedi rejected us all, for whatever reason. Dooku saw us as a new option for the Jedi, who are overworked and understaffed.......

(Vlad nods his head, facing the fire and scratching at his hair around the blindfold)

Vlad: We're here to prove that the Jedi still need us. If we succeed with this experiment, The Council might be forced to consider changing some of their rules about enrollment at the temple.

Nyssa: You think they'd ever accept me?

(Nyssa's pale skin glowed dull orange from the heat. She was staring at the fire. pondering her fate in all this)

Vlad: It's possible, though they would likely force you to abandon some of your more.....*ahem*......"unorthodox" training......

Nyssa: Y'know, having been trained in the ways of the Dark Side doesn't mean I wake up every day plotting to kill babies and suck souls from cute animals!

(She frowns)

Nyssa: There's a practical use for what I know.

Kurwa: (skeptical) Like WHAT??

(She stares at him for a second, annoyed by his tone)

Nyssa: It teaches us to be strong in the face of danger. It allows us to survive in harsh enviroments It teaches the value of being more powerful than our enemies.

Vlad: You admit, though, it has its own dangers.

Nyssa: Only when you don't know what you're doing. I come from a world with man eating plants and frakkin huge beasts that will slice you to pieces, not to mention the pirates that hang out and form rape gangs, slaver parties, and good old fashion drug smuggling. I don't have the frakkin luxury of planting a flower garden like Yoda.

Sunaj: Do you think Dooku knows about our imposter? I mean, we aren't really in any danger, are we?

Vlad: This world aches with the dark powers. I suspect we have some danger on our hands, but the trick is to face it together. Wether Dooku understands this test or not is not important. It's important to note that if we start getting jumpy over this tenth guest, we will end up destroying each other.

Poggle: *I don't even care anymore. It's cold out, and I'm too tired to be paranoid*

Hadranus: You said it. I got to admit, I feel exhausted.

Vlad: Our energy is drained by this place, but we will prevail. I think if some of us stay up for a while to stand guard, most of us can get some rest. I'll stand watch. Any volunteers?

(They all look at each other uneasily)

Septime: I will stay up.

Paleo-Logus: I will stay up as well.

Hadranus: Fine. Wake me when the imposter decides to come clean.

(Several of them lay down by the heated rocks, sabres still dimly providing warmth. Aviva sits next to Vlad)

Aviva: Mind if I...

Vlad: No, go ahead. The more the merrier.

(Aviva talks quietly, watching Septime and Paleo-logus who are sitting on the opposite side of the fire)

Aviva: Do you think you will be able to detect the imposter?

Vlad: Possibly. When we entered the tunnel, I sensed everyone's style of walking. Kurwa has bold strides, while Poggle seems to be more of a scampering type.

Aviva: (chuckles) That's pretty good hearing you have!

(Vlad blushes a little)

Vlad: Thanks. What startled me was I began hearing new set of feet join us shortly after we entered. I haven't been able to seperate the new walking feet from the group yet, but maybe tomorrow I will get the chance.

Aviva: I must admit, I'm scared. My Jedi powers are faint at best. I don't know if I'm ready for this. These powers flared up for me just enough to survive the slums of Nar Shadaa. I was in a gang once. We used to work for Big Daddy Voth. We did terrible things to survive. Robberies, fights.....In a big city alley, I can hold my own against a dumb punk, but out here.....

Vlad: You will do fine. Look at me. I was born blind on a world engulfed in madness.

(Aviva looks at him with sympathy)

Vlad: Our leaders tried to create Force sensitive recruits on a planetary scale. It ended in disaster. Half the population went crazed with abilities to use the Dark Side, epidemic suicides and petty warlords destroying our own civilization. Top it off with industrial pollution and acid rain. There was an outbreak of Night Terror attacks by creatures mutated from the Dark Side. I never saw what they looked like, but I will never forget the sounds they made in the night.....

(A distant animal noise startles those in the group staying up. It is far enough away to not pose a threat, but it is enough to cause Septime to constantly stare at the small windows and secured door. Aviva sit closer to Vlad instinctively. He smiles as he senses her nervousness and tries to reassure her)

Vlad: I would consider Nar Shadaa's slums to be a paradise....

(Scene fades)

 

 

 

Fade opens into:

Dreamstate-blurriness gives the scene a surreal quality, someone is dreaming.

(POV pans around a very nice city as the sun goes down. Looks a little like a Naboo-type city, very pretty buildings, tranquil only more like Rome a-la "Gladiator". CU of a very huge palace, very romanesque in its design. Voices are heard from a balcony)

Voice: Ambassador Namor, the delegates from Alderaan are ready to speak with you.

(We cut to the Ambassador, a very sharply dressed older man in a waiting room. A bit of a Patrick Stewart-looking man. He stands up from a comfortable chair and enters a stately room with several other dignitaries. Everything still has a dreamy quality to it)

Namor: Thank you for seeing me on such short notice.

(Namor shakes hands with a young Bail Organa. The lights are dim, the atmosphere very secretive. They talk very quietly)

Bail: Perhaps you can help shed light on this new taxation proposal on the Trade routes coming up in the Senate. The Trade Federation would never allow such a thing.

Namor: That's the whole point! Someone is trying to provoke the Trade Federation. Senator Organa, my sources have uncovered a conspiracy so vast....it has the potential of swallowing the galaxy in turmoil!

Bail: Why don't we go public with this?

Namor: We do not have enough evidence to reveal the true culprit in this!

Bail: Who IS the true culprit?

Namor: I have reason to believe this plot is orchestrated by NONE OTHER THAN SENATO-

(A shot rings out. Ambassador Namor is struck in the heart by a laser shot. Everyone shouts in shock, diving for cover. Namor falls backward in a slow motion. He is dead before he hits the ground. Whatever revelation he had dies with him. The scene becomes very blurry as everyone runs about in a panic)

Bail: There was somebody at the window! Looked like one of those damned mandalorian bounty hunters!! FIND HIM if you can, men!

(Scene fades into blackness. Only a single voice is heard before the dream ends)

Jango: My Lord, It is finished.....

(Dream ends)

 

Int view- the camp of the young Jedi.

(CU of Conradin as he wakes with a shudder. He looks around, confused and scared)

Hadranus: Father.....

(Septime gently grabs his shoulder, startling him for a second)

Septime: You had a bad dream. Nothing more. You ok?

Hadranus: Yeah.....it was weird. I saw my father killed.....well, not my REAL father. He was my foster father, an ambassador for my homeworld. I have a bad feeling....

Vlad: We all do. This place will do that.

(Conradin looks at them, visibly worried)

Hadranus: No, you don't understand. I HAVE A BAD FEELING......I need to go home. I have to know-

Vlad: -Hey, everything is okay. You had a dream. That's all.

Septime: He's right. You'll see when we get back.

(He looks at them and nods silently, calming down. Scene fades)

 

 

(Time passes as we fade back to the campfire. Kurwa, Baga and Conradin are awake while the others sleep)

Kurwa: I have been to Achilleas.

Hadranus: I remember. My foster father helped sign the treaty to increase our trade. He took me to explore the hunting grounds of Troxar.

Kurwa: We have the best game hunting in the system.

(They are quiet for a moment)

Kurwa: We can eliminate Poggle, Vlad, you and me as suspects.

Baga: *What about me?*

Kurwa: I'm sure if you were the tenth person, you'd have done something by now.

Hadranus: I wouldn't waste my time trying to figure it out. It's always the person you least suspect anyway....

Baga: *Person you'd least suspect??? That STILL includes me!*

(Kurwa gets mildly annoyed)

Kurwa: Oh, do shut up, Baga. You make me wish I was the imposter so I could reveal myself just to get some peace and quiet.

(Baga suddenly becomes indignant)

Baga: *Now, wait a minute! Suppose it IS me? You should talk more respectfully!*

(Kurwa starts to laugh a little. Conradin smiles)

Hadranus: Oh, Baga. You just don't have what it takes to be the imposter. You're trying too hard.

(Baga folds his arms, annoyed. Kurwa pats him on the back)

Kurwa: I will watch out for you, Jedi capitalist! You might-

(Their mirth is interrupted by a vicious animal noise right outside the walls. The sounds of hungry beasts and rattling chains awakens everybody. They all grab their lightsabres as the walls are pounded on. The building shakes violently for a few more seconds until it stops. Everything is silent, and no one wants to speak)

Vlad: Everybody, check outside, but stay together!

(They rush through the front door, sabres ready. They form a circle outside, facing every direction, but they see nothing)

Nyssa: This place is cold.

Vlad: Yeah, I think we should wait until the sunlight arises.

Aviva: There will be no dawn. Look....

(She points at the red star. It is definitely a dying sun. This planet, which may very well be several billion years old, is seeing its last days of sustaining life. A cold wind picks up, causing everyone to shiver, even in their heavy outfits)

Aviva: That sun is out as bright as it will get. It's probably noon by now.

Septime: All the same, we shouldn't stay here for long. *Something* is out there.

(Another animal noise chokes from the distance)

Hadranus: Well....now that we're up.....how about some breakfast?

Nyssa: I'm up for suggestions, like maybe hunting down whatever woke us up!

Kurwa: Really! How can you think of food at a time like this?

Hadranus: First order of business.....survival.

(Vlad yawns a bit, adjusting his blindfold)

Septime: let's keep moving. We might find something out here.

(Everyone continues moving forward. They move to the top of another hill and gasp at the newest sight)

Sunaj: Unbelievable!

Baga: *Shut me down!*

Paleo-Logus: Fascinating!

Nyssa: And colder still.....

(POV pans out past them to show a huge, bizaare, unending maze structure. Standing tall in the center of the maze is a huge structure that looks very nuch like the puzzlebox they found on the altar. The structure hums, but there is no warmth in the noise. Everyone begins to shiver with inexplicable despair. Hadranus starts to feel dizzy)

Septime: There's a sight.

Nyssa: This Maze looks like it's thousands of years old!

Baga: Why would anyone build a maze in the middle of the ruins?

Nyssa: If this race has the puzzlebox lying around....

Baga:....What is it, Nyssa?

Nyssa: Nothing. Just thinking out loud. It is an amazing structure.

Sunaj: Amazing is not the word I'd use. More like Damnation!

Vlad: Let's stop admiring the scenery and keep moving.

Kurwa: You should be used to it, Vjunner.

Septime: Hey, we don't need that, Kurwa!

Kurwa: EVERYBODY knows that Vjun is a virtual disaster area, The people there have succumbed to madness and the darkside!

Vlad: But NOT ME! You wanna put your foot in your mouth again? I'll help stuff it there!

Hadranus: Hey, hey! Stop!

Vlad: If anyone's at home with this-

(He faces Nyssa. She frowns and looks away quietly)

Nyssa: Frell! You boys with your-

(A chain shoots from the darkness and wraps itself around Nyssa. She was so irritated, she fail to sense its approach. Everyone jumps in fright and shock as Nyssa is dragged away into the dark. Her lightsabre falls to the ground)

Poggle: *Ambush!*

Hadranus: You said it, little buddy!

Sunaj: This test is a TRAP! Kurwa, lead us back to the portal

Kurwa: It's the best idea I've heard. Come on.

Vlad: We have to get Nyssa!

Septime: We can't just leave her!

Kurwa: You heard Sunaj. She's a Sith witch. It's obviously a trap.

(Conradin and Septime jump after her. Poggle hesitates a second, then spreads his insect wings to take flight to follow them, The humming of his wings can be heard in the dark)

Sunaj: WAIT! We don't know what happened!

Kurwa: What are you two DOING?? POGGLE! Get back here!

Aviva: Something grabbed Nyssa! We gotta save her!

Kurwa: I'm not going out there!

(A chilling noise of teeth chattering is heard behind them. Vlad faces the sound. Within the edge of his sabre glow, he senses a terrible presence)

Vlad: This isn't happening......I STILL cannot sense life here....

(Kurwa strikes at it with his blade. He hits, sending it into the dark)

Kurwa: COME ON!! Back to the portal!

Aviva: What's the matter?

Baga: *It had no face.....it.....it was just a....m-mouth........*

(Kurwa, Vlad, Aviva, and Baga run back. Paleo-Logus and Sunaj remain at the hill, looking back and forth. Septime, Hadranus and Poggle have gone forward to find Nyssa)

Paleo-Logus: Oh no.....Our group....it's all falling apart right in the middle of our test.....

Sunaj: Do not panic. Let us wait here for Septime......

Paleo-Logus: What about the imposter?

(They stare at each other for a moment. A dark shadow falls over them both)


	3. There Were Ten Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The further adventures of 9 Padawan secretly being trained by Master Dooku, tested on a Dead Sith world. They face dangers and death traps, and learn hints about the Jedi Prophecy of the Chosen One. Will they survive the ordeal?

THERE WERE TEN PART 3

(Meanwhile, in the dark near the maze, Nyssa's screams are heard. Conradin and Septime barely stay within sight of each other. Poggle's humming wings are heard above them)

Hadranus: What ever took her is in the maze. We can't.....we can't go in there.

Septime: THIS is a TEAM EFFORT.

(She clasps his shoulder in desperation)

Septime: No more talking. We have to find her and get back to the others.

(Septime steps forward, into the maze. Poggle follows from above)

Poggle: *I can guide you through from above*

Hadranus: WAIT!

(He runs in after her)

 

 

(POV cuts to Kurwa as he reaches the edge of the altar and stops to catch his breath. A woman's light laughter cuts through the dark, as if aimed at him. The others reach him. They see that the portal has closed. The light of the portal is dim and inaccesible. Baga lets out a whine)

Baga: *Pudu! What now?*

Aviva: We have to reopen the door somehow!

Kurwa: DON'T panic. We are Jedi. We can solve this....

(The teeth chattering noise gets louder. It taunts them from the dark. Vlad cries out in terror)

Vlad: The THING is getting closer!

(They have their sabres ready, backs to each other)

Kurwa: SHOW YOURSELF!

(Several chains with rusty hooks shoot out at them. The four block and cut the chains in a blur of fancy swordplay)

Aviva: Nice try......

(Vlad begins to sob in terror)

Vlad: It's just like Vjun......My village was torn apart by things in the night....They...they killed my mother....

Kurwa: Don't freak out now, Vlad......*sigh*......right now, we need you to focus. It's time to start trusting the Force.

(They hear slow footstep. Quietly, they wait. A woman's soft figure approaches. She giggles and squirms.....almost seductively. The four of the stare hard to get a good look. The woman gets closer. Kurwa blushes at the woman as he realizes her voluptuous body is almost naked. She softly moans to them. They almost let their guard down when they see the "woman" come into the light. She almost looks normal except that the skin of her upper face has been pulled back over her head, giving the appearance of no eyes or nose, just a large smiling mouth. It is not the chattering thing Kurwa struck, but it is no less chilling)

Kurwa: Spawn of Hell!!!!!!

(The she-thing smiles and rubs her tummy enticingly. It takes a step forward to embrace Kurwa. Kurwa swiftly yells a battlecry and swipes both its hands off. The She-thing screams in rage as blood sprays everywhere. Kurwa pirouettes and decapitates it in one stroke)

Baga: *GORRAMN!!!*

(Vlad wigs out in blind terror. Aviva deactivates her sabre and tries to grip Vlad with both hands)

Aviva: It's ok....it's ok.....You've got to keep it together!

(The chattering thing bites Vlad's tunic with its large mouth. He screams like bloody murder as it forcefully tries to drag him away)

Aviva: NO YOU DON'T!!!

(She lights up and leaps in front of it. The Chatterer is a tall thick creature. Aviva is shaken up, but stands her ground)

Aviva: Put him DOWN!

(Baga comes to his senses and covers Chatterer from behind. Kurwa waves his blade in front of the creature. It puts down Vlad, who quickly scurries to Aviva. Sunaj leaps in and kicks the creature away. The thing jumps back into the darkness, growling in pain)

Kurwa: Where are the others?

Sunaj: (gasping) Back that way! Paleo-Logus is the Imposter!! He attacked me!!

Kurwa: NO......so, it was HIM!!!

Sunaj: Is the portal......closed?

(Vlad starts laughing and crying, slowly losing his marbles. He laughs like a child. Aviva slaps him. He looks in her direction, shocked)

Aviva: That puzzlebox might contain the solution to opening the door.

Kurwa: Agreed. It's a long shot, but it's better than nothing.

(Kurwa and Aviva go to the Altar. Sunaj and Baga try to carry Vlad, but fall behind. Kurwa reaches the box. He looks it over)

Kurwa: Looks like there are buttons on this.

(Aviva pushes one gently, setting off a mechanism that causes the odd shaped box to twist and morph. The ground shakes. Baga screams. Kurwa and Aviva turn to see, off in the dark, one of the three has lit up his sabre and is striking wildly into the dark. Vlad laughs and screams as his mind is overwhelmed by the despair of this world, by the madness of the stalking creatures that make noises around them. Soon, all is silent. Kurwa and Aviva listen closely)

Aviva: Guys?

(A shadow leaps at them and swipes away the puzzlebox. Aviva shrieks at the coldness of the shadow. She and Kurwa realize......IT IS THE IMPOSTER, the tenth member of the group...The shadow heads for the maze)

Kurwa: NO! That THING has the box! PALEO-LOGUS!!

Aviva: And it's going back to the maze.....

 

 

(We cut to-Deeper in the maze. As Septime, Hadranus and Poggle go further and further, the cries of the damned chill them to their soul. The walls become rusty, chains and chunks of suspicious looking meat adorn the corridor. The debris is so cluttered Poggle must land and walk with the others. The madness of the hellish maze makes them delirious. They almost panic into a blind run, surrounded by inhuman screams and chomping noises, laughing, crying, puking, the smell of urine and rot. Pale faces from the shadows lear at them. They finally slow down)

Poggle: *This is nuts!*

Hadranus: Yeah, this is nuts, all right. Septime, we are lost.....

Septime: Stay focused! I can sense Nyssa in this direction.

(They walk slowly. The occasional cry of the damned haunts their ears as they go further down into the maze)

Hadranus: I've been to Naboo. Nice place.

Septime: Uhh, thanks. Try to keep your focus.

Hadranus: I'm trying to focus on pleasant things. Did you notice something about the Red Dwarf sun?

Septime: No, why?

Hadranus: It's either gone supernova and will die out soon or it's getting pressurized to go supernova very soon.....

Septime: Either way, we don't want to be here, right. Isn't that right, Poggle?

(it suddenly occurs to them that Poggle has vanished. Cold breathing echoes about, chilling their souls)

Hadranus: Poggle?

(A deep voice rumbles from beyond)

Voice: The Fate of this planet is more dire than your young mind can ever realize.....*Jedi*......

(Chains shoot from every direction and ensnare the two. They are quickly dragged off to the dreaded center of the maze. The despair they feel around them gets worse. They scream just to block out the spiritual torment echoing through the halls. Fade to black)

 

Cut to-

A very surreal landscape. It is bright and sunny all of a sudden

(Nyssa runs along a field of red grass. She's not sure what just happened or how she got here, but she is alone)

Nyssa: Well, this is new......I must be dreaming.....

(She spots a huge building in the distance. POV shows a large necropolis and a large statue in front. Nyssa walks towards it, smiling with childlike curiosity)

Nyssa: If this is a dream....I like it!

(POV pans to the statue, which is a huge carved version of Nyssa, posing dramatically in front of the doors to the Necropolis. She admires the fine looking sculpture. Her ears pick up unpleasant noises from within. She looks up at her larger self before excitedly running to the doors)

Int view- the doors as she quickly kicks them open.

(Nyssa is awed by the sights within. The hall inside is filled with hundreds of dancers, having a slow motion rave party. It is smoky, dark with occasional party lights sparkling about. There are even dancers suspended from cages high above, providing an erotic show. The dancers are all in black leather, sweating, dancing, gothy, etc. She wonders past them to a room at the far end that glows bright)

Nyssa: Ahhh....what have we here?

(She smiles at the handsome hunks guarding the entrance to the "special room". They smile back. With slow motion cool, she walks past them. The sight in this room, however, stops her cold. She sees what appears to be all of the other young Jedi Padawans, tied up and trapped in a pool of black liquid)

Septime: Nyssa! Help us!

Kurwa: We fell into a trap! Hurry!

Baga: *Be careful, the liquid is flammable! One wrong move, and we will be burned to death!*

(Nyssa steps back, trying to figure out how this happened. A shadowy figure appears behind her. There is malice in his voice)

Tyranus: Surely, you cannot feel "pity" for these foolish creatures?

Nyssa: We have to help them!

Tyranus: Why?

Nyssa: Why?! But-

(She stops and looks at them, suddenly having second thoughts)

Tyranus: They never respected you. They even treated you like an agent of the Sith! They were going to leave you to DIE in that desolate place!

(He hands her a fiery torch. The padawans begin to scream in terror)

Tyranus: You are a child of the darkside. Take your rightful place with those who celebrate the freedom that the light cannot give!

(She smiles a little, tilting her head. The power of life and death in her hands feels good. Her yellow cat-like eyes become insanely bright as she stares at the torch)

Tyranus: Let it flow through you, Sith witch. Show them the power of your anger.....

(She hesitates as she looks at them writhing in terror in the pool. She looks back at the sexy dancers, celebrating their devotion to the dark side, the back at her companions)

Tyranus: DO IT!!

(She gasps as the shadowy figure barks at her. She grips the torch, feeling the thrill, but remembering her disciplines. She thinks upon the teachings she has learned under Dooku, the only person who ever gave her a chance)

Nyssa: No. I have no love for these vain arrogant children, but I cannot vanquish a foe unless I can beat them myself. I am a Sith witch, but I will earn my victories through my own skill.

(She drops the torch and walks out of the room. The dancing and screaming stop. The dance hall is now empty and cold. She tilts her head curiously and pauses for a moment)

Nyssa: It must have been a test! Did I pass?

(The dark figure, Tyranus, grabs her shoulder)

Tyranus: No.......you have failed.....

(She looks up into his face. Terror fills her face. She screams. Fade to black)

 

Cut to:

Another surreal setting. A thick forest.

(Vlad runs swiftly through woods. Where the woods came from is enough of a mystery and he doesn't have time to ponder. It is with the keenest hearing and agility, and maybe luck, that has kept him from smacking face first into any of the trees. Growling noises are all around him. He breathes harder and harder as he flees the things chasing him. He stumbles into the shelter and shuts the door)

Vlad: Nyssa? Baga?

(POV backs away to reveal that he is alone. The warmth of the fire has long since died down. Vlad walks around the room, trying to get a sense of what has happened to the others)

voice: Vlad.....

Vlad: Aviva?

voice: Over here....

(He goes towards the voice. Aviva grabs him and pulls him down to a corner)

Vlad: What's go-

Aviva: (whispering) Shhhh! They'll hear us!

(He gets quiet, hearing some movement outside the building. Creatures were out there, grunting, groaning, chewing. Vlad's jaw drops in terror)

Vlad: (whispering) It can't be.....

Aviva: They got the others. I've never seen such horrible creatures!

(A woman's scream makes them jump. With terror, Vlad can hear someone being chased outside the shelter by what sounds like a crowd of grunting people. CU of Vlad as he can hear the triumphant growls of the crowd as they catch the woman and begin to tear her flesh apart. The screams become almost unbearable. Aviva covers his mouth as Vlad begins to panic)

Aviva: Shhh, it's okay, I'm here.....I'm here.....

(They listen quietly, curled up together in a dark corner, as the chewing and biting become voracious. Vlad holds her hand, trembling)

Vlad: They were the unlucky ones. They used to be people.

(Aviva holds him close to keep him calm)

Vlad: I don't know how they got here, but they will try to eat us if they know we're here.

(A voice calls from outside)

Aviva: Vlad!!! Are you in there?

(Vlad's ears perk up)

Vlad: Aviva?

(CU of Vlad's confused face. POV pans back, showing the thing holding him looking more and more like a horrifyingly twisted version of Aviva. Its claws dig into him as it hisses in his ear. Vlad screams as the thing's teeth clatter a little, sending horrible chills down his spine. The real Aviva kicks her way past the door)

Aviva: Vlad!!

(Without hesitating, she swings her bright blade with unchecked fury, decapitating the thing holding down Vlad. He grabs her hand for dear life. His hair is starting to turn white in terror. She pulls him to the other side of the room. It is completely quiet except for their gasping breath. Vlad lets his fingers trace Aviva's face, her cheeks, nose and forehead)

Vlad: Sorry....I wanted to make sure it was really you.

Aviva: I know.

(They begin to calm down in the darkness of the shelter, comforted only by Aviva's humming blade. She stares at the dead thing for several minutes)

 

Cut to:

A huge city. Night time.

(Kurwa Napes stands in a small graveyard surrounded on all sides by massive skyscrapers. The city looks modern and fast paced with crowded streets. The graveyard, by contrast, is quiet, dotted with hundreds of quaint marble headstones. He looks around, lighting up his sabre)

Kurwa: By the second coming of Pertinax.......what is this? I was just by the door. Is this an illusion?

Tyranus: It is judgement day!

(Kurwa spins around to see the dark hooded figure several feet behind)

Kurwa: You know how much I hate it when people sneek up on me like that? It's so cliche.

Tyranus: But I am not the threat, merely the narrator of your tale.

(Kurwa frowns with contempt)

Kurwa: And just what IS my tale?

Tyranus: Take a look around you........it is a tale of revenge, greed, political ambition.......all written on these stones.....

(They look at the various names and dates on the gravestones. Realization comes across his face)

Kurwa: These people.....they were political opponents.....

Tyranus: Victims.....

Kurwa: NO!

Tyranus: They crossed your father's path. They crossed YOURS!

Kurwa: No, they were not killed. Why are these stones here!? They never died....

(Tyranus gestures grandly to his spellbound listener)

Tyranus: Oh, but they DID die! Their lives were RUINED! Ruined so you could gain an advantage, so that your father could prepare you for a high Government position on your homeworld!

Kurwa: You are A LIAR!!!!

(Kurwa lights up his blade to face the stranger. Tyranus does not react)

Tyranus: Is it hate flowing through you? Anger that I speak the truth? Or is it guilt?

Kurwa: I am a Jedi warrior. Those emotions do not control me!

(Tyranus laughs)

Tyranus: Baron Kurwa Napes......To tempt you with the dark side would be too easy. You are already guilty of so much. The only thing holding you back now is your pride! Even THAT will be your downfall sooner or later......

Kurwa: We'll see how funny this is when I cut you in two!

(Kurwa swings his sabre. Tyranus activates a deep red colored light sabre and counters him. Their blades crossed, they stare at each other for a long time)

Tyranus: You still do not wish to admit your past deeds. Who am I to pass judgement? I will not decide your fate. I will let THEM do it!

(The ground begins to rumble slightly. Tyranus backs away into the shadows. Kurwa looks around fearfully. The buried begin to dig their way out of the ground in typical "night of the living dead" fashion. Kurwa gasps in horror as the decayed monstrocities begin whispering his name)

Zombie #1: Your father destroyed my career......you must pay!

Zombie #2: I was a prominant member of the military until your father exposed me in a scandal........

Zombie #3: Remember me, Kurwa? Remember how you and Dooku took away my chances to be a Senator for your own gain????

Kurwa: THIS IS INSANE!!! YOU ARE NOT HERE!!!

Zombie #1: You will face our justice now, Baron Kurwa Napes!!! You will face an eternity of shame and failure, vengeance and death!

Zombie #4: Your Jedi powers cannot save you!

(They horde of undead vengefully swarm him. He swings his blade skillfully, cutting down almost two dozen....but he cannot hold them off. They pile up on top of him, muffling his screams for several seconds. After a moment, he opens his eyes. The zombies are gone. Poggle, however, is there. Poggle is trying to shake Kurwa back to reality)

Poggle: *Are you ok? You were having a hallucination*

Kurwa: ......I'm alive?

Poggle: *Yes. I got seperated from the others. Thank goodness I found you*

(Kurwa hugs the small geonosian, gasping in relief. Poggle pulls him to his feet)

Kurwa: You haven't had any strange visions or hallucinations?

(Poggle shakes his head as they start walking cautiously through the dark maze that has somehow enveloped them both)

Poggle: *I come from a hive mentality. Not much room there for a vivid imagination*

Kurwa: Hmp. Sucks to be me then. My ambition to be the ultimate Jedi has gotten in the way of my disciplines and common sense.

Poggle: *Let me put your mind at ease. You are NOT the chosen one.*

Kurwa: How would YOU know?

Poggle: *My people have a Prophecy of a coming Messiah, One who would liberate the galaxy from dark oppression. The Messiah, it is written, will be heralded by a twin tailed comet, and would fight the oppressers from the sky and from underground-*

Kurwa: -Twin-tailed comet?? Poggle, that is the stupidest thing I've ever heard. There's no such thing as a twin-tailed comet. It goes against physics. I thought you just said you had no imagination.

(Poggle is taken aback by his interruption for a second, but simply shrugs his shoulders)

Poggle: *I wasn't using my imagination, I was being serious. At least my people HAVE a Prophecy of some sort. Your people don't even believe in Destiny. You wait and see. A twin-tailed comet will appear in the skies above Geonosis, and I will be welcomed as the Chosen One, who will restore balance to the Force!!!*

(Poggle poses dramatically, but Kurwa isn't impressed)

Kurwa: You said the Messiah would fight his enemy from the sky and underground. How the frell do you expect to be in the sky and underground at the SAME TIME???

Poggle: (shrugs) *I'm working on it. I didn't say it was an easy prophecy to fulfill.....*

(They have a good chuckle to defend against the dark forboding around them)

 

 

Cut to:

A bright sunny beach. It looks gorgeous out

(Septime looks around, immediately suspicious)

Septime: Naboo! But how?

(She slowly walks along the shore. Despite the calm of the waves, the cries of distant birds, she is wary of every step. She spots a hooded figure sitting at a table by the water. The waves roll in under the figure, who is preoccupied with a boardgame on the table. As she approaches, the figure turns to look at her)

Tyranus: It is your move.

(She looks at the board with its many chess-like pieces. Some are shaped like her companions, some shaped like figures such as Yoda, Senator Palpatine, Padme Amidala plus a few she does not recognize)

Septime: What kind of game are you playing?

(The tone in her voice is suspicious and hostile. She is not entirely referring to the boardgame)

Tyranus: I can assure you, it is not a game. It is a matter of Destiny. Where will you stand when the time comes to choose between loyalties?

Septime: I am a Jedi. I know where I stand!

(She smiles triumphantly)

Septime: Not much of a test, if you ask me! We are on a Sith world. You can make it look like Naboo all you want. Make it feel safe, sound safe. Naturally, your temptations will not work on me!

Tyranus: Oh, it was not my desire to tempt you at all. I can sense you have the heart of a true Jedi. But I will have the last laugh nevertheless. You will find soon enough that, in life, not everything is so "black and white".

(She pulls her light sabre and activates it in front of him, ready for any trickery. He does not react)

Septime: What are you talking about?

Tyranus: Have you ever heard the tale of Darth Plagueis?

(She stares at him for a moment)

Tyranus: Of course not. No Jedi would ever tell you the true history of the Sith.....

Septime: Not much to tell, if you ask me.

Tyranus: He was known as Darth Plagueis the wise, quite noble in his intentions, actually. He was a powerful Sith who desired to bring order to the Universe. I sense you and he would have much in common....

Septime: I doubt that!

Tyranus: He wanted to create balance in the galaxy, between the light and dark sides of the Force. It would be an achievement to outshine all others in the history of the Jedi AND the Sith! So he set out, with his greatest disciples, to create.....the ultimate being to bring balance. You see, he was so wise and so powerful......he learned the very secrets to life itself.......a way to cheat death for all time!! He used his power to create a child, a child of such power that balance could be achieved in the entire Galaxy!! You know of this child in your Jedi Prophecies.......a child that was destined to be the CHOSEN ONE!!!

Septime: BLASPHEMY!!!

Tyranus: (chuckle) Blasphemy does not BEGIN to describe the consequences of his actions! He used such power to create the child, he caused this world to be destroyed. The sun....

(Tyranus gestures up into the sky)

Tyranus: ....went Supernova. This world was hurdled through time and space, into a dimension of such darkness that to call it HELL would be an understatement. Plagueis was betrayed by his greatest pupil, a Sith lord named Sidious. Sidious escaped to your time, your galaxy. Even now, he is loose upon your worlds, hiding, destroying all that is right and balanced.....

Septime: What happened to the child?

Tyranus: Sidious' betrayal caused the child to disappear into your realm as well. We had hoped the Chosen One would return one day, and our prayers have been answered.

(Tyranus almost seems to "smile" from under his hood at her. Septime suddenly becomes fearful. He stands up and approaches her)

Septime: STAY BACK!!

Tyranus: It is time for the Chosen One to fulfill our destiny. Sidious must pay for his betrayal, and the rightful Sith lords must bring the galaxy back into their loving care....

(Tyranus holds out his decrepit hand. She gasps and takes a defensive pose)

Septime: I'll never join you!! I will not fulfill any destiny to help the Sith!! You've failed.....

(The shore disappears into darkness. The landscape becomes cold and black again. The horrible chains fly out from the shadows and wrap around her. Septime screams in terror and pain as the hooks bury into her skin and hold tight)

Tyranus: You misunderstand, my child. I didn't ask you to fulfill anything.

Septime: What?? B-but....the PROPHECY......

Tyranus: (chuckling) I never said anything about YOU being the Chosen One.....

(The chains pull her into the darkness. Septime screams in terror)

 

 

(Hadranus wakes up. He is alone in a brightly lit, pleasantly decorated room. He finds himself laying on a comfortable bed. He looks around, alert. Silently, he gets up. Nice paintings adorn the walls, beautiful furniture is scattered about. There is a single door in the large room)

Hadranus: What the frell.....??

(Hadranus studies one of the paintings for a moment. A figure in white, whom we will refer to as ANGEL, silently slips through the door in the BG, approaching him from behind. He senses the presence, and turns around, sabre ready)

Hadranus: The world is not so derserted as we were led to believe, it seems!

(The figure wears a long white robe with a hood. A golden mask adorns the figures face. The mask depicts a laughing old man. The figure holds up his hands in a nonviolent gesture. They stare at each other for a moment)

Hadranus: You mean no harm, yet I cannot trust you. Tell me who you are.

(The figure waves for Hadranus to follow. The figure exits the room through the door. Hadranus follows cautiously. POV follows outside into a hall. While it looks asthetically pleasant, Hadranus is creeped out)

Hadranus: Where are my friends?

(The golden-masked figure is silent as he continues down the hall)

Hadranus: What is this place?

Angel: (faintly) You are in the place of Elysium.

Hadranus: Who are you?

Angel: I am a simple monk, a servant of the whispering God. You might say I'm an.....angel.....

Hadranus: Whispering God?

Angel: He comes to many of us, guiding us. Sometimes, the Whispering God gives us wisdom, shapes our destinies.

Hadranus: Are my friends safe?

Angel: For the moment, yet one is in terrible danger.

Hadranus: (Alert) Who?

(The figure opens a nearby door to another bright room. Nyssa is there, trapped in a glass container)

Nyssa: CONRADIN!!

Hadranus: NYSSA! Are you all right!?

Nyssa: Everything's crazy! I was being dragged in chains, Went to a big temple and saw you guys in a pit of oil....I don't even know how I got here!!

(Hadranus turns to the golden-masked figure)

Hadranus: What is this!? Who are you? Let her out!

Angel: I can't. She is your test.

Hadranus: What do you mean?

(At that moment, two hideous figures enter the room. They look like deformed humans, hellishly twisted caricatures, not even remotely alien. Just demonically twisted humans)

Angel: You see before you two Sith acolytes. They were once human like yourself. They used to rule this world, until the dark punishment came.....

(Hadranus looks at them with pity and disgust. He senses only malice from them)

Angel: Your friend Nyssa is trapped in a container, and she will die from poison gas in four minutes if you do not complete your test!

Nyssa: Oh Frak!

Hadranus: Four minutes!

Angel: There are two buttons on the container. One will free her, one will release the gas, killing her instantly. The only way to free her is to push the right button.

Hadranus: How do I find the right button?

Angel: The Acolytes are here to serve in the second part of your test. They are instructed to answer a single question to help you, but here's the catch. One will always tell you the truth, one will always tell a lie.

Nyssa: Not to be picky, but does the test start NOW now? Or is it four minutes AFTER you give instructions?

Hadranus: (annoyed) NYSSA!

Nyssa: Ok, ok.

Angel: Time is running out!

Hadranus: What's to stop me from forcing you to tell me?

Angel: You're a fair man who plays by the rules, and more clever than you think.

Nyssa: Just do as he says!!! I've got less than three minutes!

(Hadranus looks at her in a panic, then looks at the two horrible creatures)

Hadranus: One question each......one will lie, one will be true......Frell!!

Nyssa: Conradin!!

Hadranus: I'm thinking, I'm thinking!!

(Suddenly, the solution strikes him like a gong. He looks at her, then at the acolytes and almost can't contain his excitement. He goes to the nearest one cautiously)

Hadranus: You, the uglier one......if I ask your friend to point to the button that frees my friend, which one would it be?

(The cenobite points to the button on the right. Conradin is almost ecstatic. Nyssa looks at him, waiting for the "punchline")

Hadranus: THAT'S IT!!!

Nyssa: What? The button on the right?

Hadranus: NO! The one on the left!

Nyssa: Huh?

(He presses the left button quickly. Her eyes get wide in fear, until she sees the container release her. She jumps into his arms)

Nyssa: You are crazy!

Hadranus: No, just......well, yeah, it was crazy.

Nyssa: So it was the button the left?

Hadranus: Exactly. If creepy #1 is telling the truth, the liar would point to the right button.....

Nyssa:....Ah, I see. If he's LYING, He's STILL pointing to the right button!

Hadranus: A logic puzzle. Almost had me for a second.

Angel: Well done. Most of your companions have been put through similiar tests by now. This one was rather......mild.

Hadranus: Where are they, Angel?

Angel: They are, by now, a part of the maze, a trap devised by the dark side that inhabits this world.

Nyssa: What is this world? Where are we?

Angel: It is Hell to some......a twisted paradise to others. Before your time, before even the Kwa who built the door you entered, this world was the center of the galaxy. It was called Korriban, Capital of a great Empire before our sun went Supernova. I am the last guardian of this dead planet before its eventual destruction. I am here to keep the terror contained, and to help fulfill the destiny of "The Chosen One".....

Nyssa: The Chosen One.....

Hadranus: The one who would bring balance to the Force by destroying the Sith forever....

Angel: Yes.

Hadranus: So, It's more than just a fairytale or a myth? Does the Chosen One exist?

Angel: Yes.

Nyssa: Our Master trained us to be candidates! Could it be one of us??

Angel: I have sensed it.

Nyssa: How can we know which of us is the one??

Angel: THAT answer is not so easy. We must first rescue your fellow students from peril. This is a world that does not obey the common laws of the Universe. Anything can and will happen to them.

Nyssa: Wait, there was another person here......he was the one who trapped me in the container!

Angel: It is Darth Tyranus, a dark lord of the Sith! He has the power to be in many places at once.....

Hadranus: If the Sith are here, we are in big trouble!

(They look at each other gravely. Scene fades)


	4. There Were Ten Part 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darth Tyranus and the Sith High Priest challenge the 9 padawans
> 
> Part 4 of the first Saga Story, and the young padawans will learn hard lessons, and Dooku unwittingly opens a door that will cause the Galaxy to be contested by the old Sith who follow the teachings of Darth Plagueis, and a new Sith Order led by Sidious.
> 
> The Saga continues in Story #2: "Shadows Over Geonosis"

THEY WERE TEN PART 4

(Scene opens with a blurred POV. A shadowy, hooded man stares at us. It is not known how much time has passed)

Tyranus: Good......you are finally awake.....

(We now see that the strange shadowy man is talking to Paleo-Logus. He sits up, suddenly realizing where he is. He is on a soft bed, a luxurious one)

Paleo-Logus: Where are the others? WHERE IS SUNAJ!!??

Tyranus: They are no longer your concern.

Paleo-Logus: WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH THEM?!

(He searches frantically around. His lightsabre is gone)

Tyranus: You will relax. Your friends are going to be my permanent guests here.

Paleo-Logus: Why are you doing this?

Tyranus: I need you to kill a man for me.

Paleo-Logus: And why should I help you?

Tyranus: Because I can create suffering for you and your companions if you don't.

(The young padawan considers this carefully, trying to find an angle)

Paleo-Logus: Who do you want me to kill?

Tyranus: A Sith lord......named Sidious.

(Paleo-Logus laughs, but it is an empty laugh)

Paleo-Logus: How the frell do you expect me to do that? I'm not even a Jedi.

Tyranus: You have trained as one, though. Clumsy training, but I can show you so much more.

Paleo-Logus: I already have a teacher.

Tyranus: These word games are getting tiresome. You will find Sidious and strike him down for his blasphemy!

Paleo-Logus: I don't even know WHERE TO LOOK!

Tyranus: He is closer than you think. When you leave this world, You will know where to find him. Come, we will begin your training.

(Chains shoot out from four directions, latching on to his hands and into his upper legs. He gasps, first in suprise, then in INTENSE PAIN. He pleads for mercy in quick hyperventilating breaths as his body is attached to a rotating post of rusted metal. His screams of agony echo throughout all of hell)

Tyrannus: You will understand FEAR, PAIN, TRUE SUFFERING.........You will learn to HATE, yes!! The hate will flow through you like a good wine, and when your mind has given in to the dark side, you will become a dark acolyte, like us. You will become a formidable warrior in the galaxy......

 

Scene change to-Int view of the dark maze

(Hadranus and Nyssa follow Angel through the dark terrible halls. They hear the suffering of their friends, which prompts them to walk faster)

Angel: The Sith are toying with them. Your friends are being tortured, but for the purpose of being transformed into perverted creatures!

Hadranus: We've got to hurry.

Nyssa: How!? We've been going around in circles in this maze! The closer we get, the farther away they sound....

(A friendly voice calls from behind)

Vlad: I can help!

(Vlad is helped along by Aviva. Poggle and Kurwa are with them. The six greet each other, very grateful for extra company)

Hadranus: Can you follow those screams, Vlad?

Vlad: Yes, though this is the one time in my life I wish I were deaf instead of blind....

Aviva: Who's the seventh wheel?

Hadranus: A friend, he might be able to help us escape.

Angel: To escape this world, you need to activate the puzzlebox located near the entrance.

Kurwa: FRAK!

Aviva: Frak, it figures! The puzzlebox was stolen by the imposter.

Vlad: I'll bet my soul the imposter is with the others, torturing them!

Angel: Not just an imposter, but an acolyte of this dark world. A very deadly opponent. If he has the box, we will have to fight him to get it back.

 

Ext view-The center of the dark maze

("Escape" by Craig Armstrong plays https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhP6F-vxeZI. They enter the center of the maze, which is brightly lit by unnatural sources. It is a great field of dead grass. In the center of the dead field lies a huge, ancient cathedral-like structure. A twisted sanctuary with dull stain glass windows depicting terrible crimes, perversions, and creatures of a dark imagination. Screams echo throughout the field from the structure, as does a low dispicable chant)

 

(Cut to- int. The Sanctuary of the Cathedral structure. Baga, Septime and Paleo-Logus struggle against the chains and sharp hooks that sloooooowly pull at their skin. Sunaj, standing triumphantly by the altar, stares at them for a moment. He preaches to them and to the legion of acolytes in the great shadowy sanctuary, explaining the divine mission of the Sith)

Sunaj: The Sith under Plagueis realized our greatest strength was through order.

Congregation: ORDER!!

Sunaj: Order in the galaxy under the darkside, for only when the Sith rule will there ever be peace, peace through power, peace through fear. Your puny emotions, your love, your sex, your violence.....it brings disorder, chaos. The traitor Sidious revelled in chaos.

Congregation: CHAOS!!

Sunaj: He learned the secrets Plagueis held, then betrayed us all, betrayed order of this galaxy. He now intends to create disharmony, disorder, upset the balance of all things. Our great being, Leviathan, feeds off the order of the darkside, and cannot tolerate such defiance to the balance. The apprentice, Darth Sidious, now blasphemes against us by worshiping the chaos of the dark side, in the shape of a great beast known as Behemoth!

Congregation: BLASPHEMY!!

(The Jedi struggle against the madness and the pain)

Paleo-Logus: The Force is my guide. It balances all things, light AND dark.....

(Sunaj turns to him slowly)

Sunaj: You are missing the point......You cannot fight a Sith lord until you understand the nature of the Darkside. It can give you power unimagined. You must vanquish your humanity, emotions, mortal values. Your Jedi tricks are no match for the Sith. you will be trained.......to create order and harmony......

Congregation: HARMONY!!

Septime: My emotions gives me strength.......my humanity gives my emotions purpose......I will face the darkside......and I will defeat it.....

(The hooks pull on her arms and legs. She screams. Sunaj furls his brow in anger)

Sunaj: You WILL embrace the darkside!! You will embrace LEVIATHAN!!!! And soon, the rest of your friends will join you!

Congregation: AMEN!!

(A tall figure walks out to Sunaj, a thin pale man with blck lips and bloodshot eyes)

Sunaj: The Holy priest has arrived. In the name of Plagueis!!

Congregation: ALL HAIL THE LEGACY OF PLAGUEIS!!

 

Cut back to

Ext shot outside the Cathedral.

(The others hear the chants and steel themselves)

Vlad: Well......here we are.....

Hadranus: We ready for this?

Nyssa: I am.

Vlad: I can hear the others from our group......but I also hear many of those things inside. Maybe several dozen.

Aviva: Shiny. Anyone up for a massacre?

Kurwa: I can assure you we'll be the ones doing the massacring.

Vlad: Contemplating what I am, Hadranus?

Hadranus: Yes.

(Hadranus looks at them with finality)

Hadranus: Full frontal assault. We'll suprise them, scatter them before they can regain their senses, rescue our friends, get the box and get out of here. It's the worst plan to use, but also the one they'll least expect.

Aviva: One last hurrah.

Hadranus: At this point, we've got nothing to lose. If this attack fails, we'll be damned anyway.

(Angel clasps Conradin's shoulder)

Angel: Take this. It will protect you.

(He puts a small medallion in Hadranus' hand. It is a gold chain with an emerald in the center of the golden medallion disc. Hadranus puts it around his neck)

Hadranus: Will this ward off the creatures?

Angel: It will repel them, and more.....It is a beacon for the Chosen One. I believe one of you is the child of Prophecy, destined to bring balance to the Force in the galaxy. I charge you to hold onto it, until its purpose becomes clear.....

Nyssa: You're not coming?

Angel: I guard over this world to keep them from escaping. I cannot do any more than guide you, unfortunately.

Hadranus: It is help enough. Thank you, Angel.

(The six prepare themselves near the massive front doors. Star Wars action music starts up, and this is the moneyshot before the battle)

Nyssa: Any last words, guys?

Hadranus: No epitaphs for me. As far as I'm concerned, it's clobbering time!

Kurwa: Anyone want a shot at kicking the imposter's ass?

Vlad: Sunaj! We all have a score to settle with him!

Kurwa: Sunaj? Clever bastard! He told me it was Paleo-logus.

Vlad: I could tell by the screams that Sunaj was not one of the victims.

Aviva: He's been yukking it up in there. Time to wipe that smug bastard all over the floor.

Nyssa: Then let's DO THIS!

Aviva: Ooooooh FRAK!

(They run to the door. Kurwa, Hadranus and Vlad leap up and kick the doors, using the Force to smash the doors inward for shock effect. They see the vast sanctuary, filled with acolytes of all shapes and sizes, chanting from ornate pews. The doors have crushed several of the creatures, catching them by suprise. Nyssa and Aviva thrust out a single hand each, sending a wave of Force power into the crowds on either side of the sanctuary, knocking them down like rows of dominoes)

Kurwa: THERE THEY ARE!!

(He points to Baga, Septime and Paleo-Logus. The three are suspended in chains above an altar, writhing in agony. Sunaj jumps in suprise. High Priest faces the Jedi with a commanding presence. He holds out his arms, as if to greet them)

Priest: YOU ARE ALL MY CHILDREN NOW!!!

Hadranus: YOU LET THEM GO NOW OR I START TEARING THIS PLACE APART, TYRANUS!!

(The priest struts a few feet away from the altar arrogantly)

Priest: I am not Tyranus, boy!! I am who I am. You have commited sacrilege in the house of Leviathan, and you will do penance!!

Acolytes: REPENT!!!

Vlad: Get them!!

(Nyssa sends a bolt of dark electric power at a group of creatures, incapacitating them. A dozen more are struck down by flashing sabres. Hadranus bolts to the altar in a furious charge. A crowd of acolytes try to attack him. Conradin leaps up above them and, pointing his sabre straight down, lands in the middle of the group. He slams his lightsabre into the floor, the impact causes an energy explosion around him, knocking away the creepy humanoid beasts around him with a wave of searing heat. The slobbering creatures clear away from him. The pale priest exits through a door behind the altar calmly. Hadranus rushes past the cowering Sunaj to the door)

Septime: BE CAREFUL!!!

(Sunaj gets up and runs into the crowd to escape in the chaos)

(CU of Vlad as he cuts down two fugly acolytes, then freezes, sensing the imposter's steps echoing in the sanctuary despite all the combat noise. He turns towards Sunaj's frantic pace)

Vlad: I have you now!

(He runs after Sunaj. Aviva covers him as she slices up several more of the demented congregation. The acolytes flee from the Jedi in a panicked stampede)

Aviva: Nyssa, cover the doors for Vlad! He's going after the imposter!

(Nyssa almost laughs as she releases more red lightning upon the fleeing opponents)

Nyssa: My pleasure....

(CU of Poggle as he spreads his bug wings and flies around, decapitating several more dark sith creatures until he reaches the three prisoners)

Paleo-Logus: I am glad to see you, little one!

Poggle: *Can you walk?*

Paleo-logus: I think I have lost a lot of blood, but I will make it! Let's get the others down.

(In moments, the congregation of the damned are driven from the place, scattered into the shadowy night)

 

Cut to- Int. shot Dark cathedral hallway.

(The high priest stops to face Hadranus after the short chase. Hadranus takes a step back as the dark one draws his own red lightsabre)

Priest: I did not run out of fear, boy. I wanted to taste your pain away from the others. You and your friends opened the door, allowing destiny to fulfill its promise to us. It was desire that brought you here, and I will share such things that will bring you beyond normal experiences. Beyond life and death.

Hadranus: Anyone ever tell you you talk too much?

Priest: It was the will of Plagueis that brought you here to become servants of Leviathan. Humbling you will be my greatest pleasure...

(They leap at each other, the priest with fluid grace, Hadranus with his raw energy. Their blades clash and whip about with blurring speeds. The priest waves his hand, unleashing chains from the dark to trap Hadranus in their piercing hooks. He dodges some, but is struck by others, slowly him down)

Hadranus: Shiny!

 

Cut to-

Outside the Cathedral.

(Sunaj thinks he has escaped the fight. CU of Sunaj as we pan to see Vlad behind him)

Vlad: It was a clever trick you played. Took me a while to figure out which one you were.

Sunaj: I suppose you think you can pat yourself on the back, eh? You forget, I have THE PUZZLE BOX!!

(He pulls it out and presses a button)

Sunaj: I have the power to open the door, or to destroy it FOREVER!

(Vlad grips his sabre steadily as they quietly face each other. Sunaj hovers his fingers over another cryptic button)

Sunaj: If I so much as flinch.....you will all be doomed!

(Vlad steadies his feet and grits his teeth)

Vlad: Maybe........you won't.....even......flinch!

(For a split second, Vlad becomes a blur in the FORCE, leaping twenty feet forward and severing Sunaj's hands away. The puzzlebox falls to the ground as Sunaj shrieks in shock. Vlad twirls and smacks Sunaj's face with his blade. Sunaj's face "flies off". It was nothing more than a mask, but The creature flees, its true face a mystery now lost on a dead planet. Vlad picks up the box and quickly returns to the others. He finds that he is no longer afraid of the creatures in this world)

 

 

We cut to- Priest's fight with Hadranus.

(The calm pale humanoid wears down the boy with minimal effort)

Priest: You tire quickly. You are a good fighter, but you do not understand the concept of winning. It is more than bravado and big words about "Justice" and the "Light". You must use your opponents energy against him. Otherwise this is all academic. I know all your Jedi tricks. You will lose, and your friends will die.....they will die, but will be reborn in the loving image of Leviathan!

Hadranus: I will die tonight, because you are better, but I will die a Jedi, I will become one with the force, and more powerful than you can imagine!

Pinhead: You're a cocky little BASTARD! Your Destinies are greater and more horrible than you can imagine!!

(the Priest lunges, now going on the offensive, swinging furiously. The energy of the darkside bristles from his bright red sabre. It stings and burns Hadranus, the fore of the attacks pushing him back through the maze, up against walls, on his knees. He gasps for breath trying to keep pace and use all his knowledge and technique to keep from being struck down)

Priest: Pray to Leviathan for mercy! EMBRACE THE SHADOW!!

(The pale creature flashes red lightning at the boy. Hadranus' body becomes wracked with pain and he screams in agony. Bright to his kness again, he is too exhausted to move)

Pinhead: Yes....be afraid, embrace the fear like a virgin lover. It will protect you, make you stronger. It will lead you to your destiny....

(Hadranus shivers and looks up at the victor with determined eyes)

Hadranus: You really talk too much......

(With a gasp of energy, Hadranus punches him between the legs. The Priest yells in suprise....and PAIN. Clumsily, Hadranus gathers what little strength he has left and runs like hell. He runs, going down seemingly random corridors, but after several long, panicked minutes, he reaches the Chapel, greeted by his very suprised comrades)

Kurwa: Conradin!

Nyssa: You don't look so good.

(He collapses. Nyssa holds him in her arms until she can pull out all the hooks. He winces with each, then weakly rests when she is done)

Aviva: We think this puzzlebox might open the portal, but I don't know how it works.

Nyssa: Let me see that.

(Aviva hands her the box. She carefully reads the hieroglyphs on the sides for a few minutes. The humming from a disapproving Leviathan becomes almost unbearable)

Baga: Come on! How long is this going to take?

Nyssa: I've got to do this carefully. One wrong move could be very bad.

Septime: We have to keep moving. We have to go.

(Kurwa sits next to her)

Kurwa: You're right, but not yet. We need to rest for a moment longer or else you and Hadranus won't make it.

(Nyssa presses a small part of the cube. It starts activating, twisting shape like a mechanical wind up toy)

Nyssa: We've got to go NOW. The portal might only be open for a short time.

(They gather each other up and start for the doors. In moments, they struggle out into the maze, with Kurwa and Aviva in the lead. They trudge through puddles of blood dripping from above, passing chains with horrible hooks swinging about from the unseen ceiling. Voices call out them with horrible secrets. Some of the guys see female faceless Creatures trying to tempt them with lust. Poggle, Kurwa and Septime are tempted by whispers of power and riches. Some of the females see bloody mutant babies crawling towards them, calling out to them with a perverted maternal call. Through it all, the group continues)

Dooku's Voice: FAILURES!! You have all FAILED ME!!

Baga: Master?

Dooku's Voice: I trained you, I made you the best, yet you falter!!

Septime: It's another trick. Ignore it.

Dooku's Voice: You are my greatest DISAPPOINTMENTS!!!

(They stop, perplexed)

Kurwa: I followed Poggle, but we meditated on the structure of this maze, memorizing every turn, every passage.

Septime: If this is where we came in.....

(They look down the hall, only to see a darkness ending at a wall)

Aviva: ...Where's the entrance?

Vlad: It's another trick. An Illusion. I can feel a breeze.

(Kurwa goes to the wall and reaches out to touch it. His hand passes through the wall! Quickly, they pass through to get to the other side. They are out in the cold, dead enviroment. A chill wind picks up)

Kurwa: Hurry!

(The ground shakes as they run back to the entrance. The Leviathan rumbles and hums terribly. The wind picks up like a vacuum, sucking the air back to the Leviathan structure. The Jedi start yelling against the wind to be heard)

Septime: Everyone hold hands!! Brace yourselves against the wind!

(Kurwa grabs Poggle, who is almost literally blown away. The others hold onto each other to keep from being knocked away by the strong winds, which are now becoming a gailforce, a storm. Soon, they reach the entrance, which is now blazing brightly. Baga loses his footing as they approach the entrance. He falls back as the wind almost whips him back into the darkness)

Baga: *HELP!!*

(He drifts into the shadows, but Paleo-Logus holds out his hand and uses the Force to pull Baga back. Nyssa also sticks her hand out to pull him back. Baga floats towards them against the wind)

Paleo-Logus: GRAB MY HAND!!!

(Nyssa and Paleo-Logus snatch up Baga and pull him back to the group)

Hadranus: HURRY!! THE DOOR IS CLOSING!!!

(They leap through one by one. Hadranus helps Aviva and then Vlad. The door begins to become unstable. Hadranus, in a moment of discomfort, looks back at the world one last time. The pale priest stands nearby, staring at him with bloodshot eyes, smiling as the wind whips around him. Hadranus quickly leaps into the portal)

 

 

(The group stumbles through the door, back into the temple. Dooku is meditating by a hearth fire. C3PO waits by his side. The students close the door and collapse to the ground, exhausted)

Dooku: C3PO, fetch blankets and warm drinks!

C3PO Yes, master.

Dooku: Vlad? Are all of you well?

Vlad: It.....it was horrible!

Dooku: Rest, now. I will evaluate your performance later.

(Some of the students frown at his cold analysis. Hadranus stands up angrily)

Hadranus: "Evaluate our performance"?? We nearly DIED in there!!

Dooku: It was a test of skills and instincts-

Septime: -It was a nightmare....

Dooku: Of the Darkside. Yes, it was.

Kurwa: It was a foul trap! Did you know about the imposter?? The creatures??

Hadranus: Why? Why did you-

(Dooku becomes stern)

Dooku: -DO NOT question! It was a test of your abilities. By the look of it, some of you succeeded....

(He glanced at Vlad and Nyssa)

Dooku: Some of you were.....not as successful. But you must always remember that every day of life is a day of hope. In that end, you were all fortunate.

Hadranus: What if one of us had died?

(Dooku stares at him for a moment, not angry but unsympathetic. "Loved by the Sun" by Tangerine Dream plays. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbDb8yITvhI )

Dooku: Boy, you must realize that in this life you may one day face death, or a horror worse than death. Was this test pointless? No. The point was NOT to be in some rollicking thrill ride adventure, it was to steel your resolve, to prepare you all for that one day! There are children out there who make believe they are Jedi, they play their games, but THEY do not understand the dangers! THIS IS NOT A GAME! You are keepers of the peace, and you must be prepared for unimaginable threats and temptations........

(Some of the students look down at the ground, embarrased and tired from the ordeal. Dooku looks at Hadranus and softens up a little)

Dooku: There is no need to be ashamed of your fear and anger. I can understand you are weary. You have all faced the darkside and triumphed against it. It is time for rest. When you are ready, we will leave this planet. We will never return.

(C3PO ushers the students to a warm fire with food and blankets. Hadranus and Dooku look at each other quietly)

Hadranus: A part of us died back there, so I guess we weren't as successful-

Dooku: -No. You are wrong.....Conradin.....

(Dooku gently grabs Hadranus' shoulders very paternally)

Dooku: The one thing that sustains children is their innocence. It makes all things beautiful, and gives us a chance to dream, to dream of fantastic possibilities, life, love, honor and glory but....in order to become successful in life, we must be ready to sacrifice that innocence. Innocence must always be destroyed eventually, wether through war, sex, horror or by just growing up, but it dies sooner or later. Your innocence is gone, theirs is gone, but in its place is something that will make you stronger, wiser and very powerful in the ways of the Jedi. Some of you faced terrible fears, but you overcame them. As your teacher, I am satisfied with the exchange. I am proud of all of you.....Unofficially, I am deeply sorry to put you all through this. You are the children I could never have because of the Jedi code. My family. It is with even deeper sorrow that I must give you terrible news.

Hadranus: What?

Dooku: Something has happened to your stepfather, the Archduke....You must be returned to Achilleas to assume your rightful place as...heir to his estate and legacy, and prepared to assume his place in the galactic Senate.....Conradin....he was....

(Hadranus gets teary eyed, thinking back on his nightmare)

Hadranus: I know.....I felt it in a vision.

Dooku: I am terribly sorry.

(They walk back to the others. Dooku pats his shoulder gently. Close up of each of the students as Hadranus sits next to Poggle. POV pans past Vlad, Aviva, Paleo-Logus, Septime, Kurwa, Nyssa and stops with Baga. Fade to black)

 

Cut to-Ext view of the temple, a few minutes later

(The group mounts up on their taun-tauns to ride back to the ship. Vlad helps Aviva onto her ride with a grin, Poggle shivers in the morning light next to a tired Paleo-Logus)

Poggle: *It is cold but the sun feels great!*

Paleo-Logus: Yes, indeed it does!

Septime: Never have I felt more grateful for such a sight!

(Kurwa rides up to Dooku)

Kurwa: Master Dooku, are you sure you wouldn't want to come back here? This IS a Jedi Temple, after all, filled with hidden knowledge and legends of greatness.

Dooku: No, Kurwa. It's just a collection of dead walls and columns, a building. Legends and greatness are not made by a location, they are made by the people who walked these halls. We have no need to come back. In our hearts, Legends can be now and forever, teaching us to love for goodness' sake, sweet songs of youth, the wise, and the meeting of all wisdom. To believe in the good in man.

(CU of Nyssa as she goes over to Conradin quietly before they mount up. She smiles at him)

Nyssa: You saved my life. Thank you.

Hadranus: Thank you for helping to save the group. Your powers......they were very, uhhh......practical.

(He smiles back, a little unnerved by her gleaming cat eyes and smile. He blushes. She kisses him on the cheek)

Nyssa: My gift to you, friend. I am sorry to hear the bad news of your step-father..

(She hugs him)

Hadranus: Thank you.

Nyssa: What happens now? What will you do?

Hadranus: Who can say where the road goes? Only time.....

(They mount their rides and catch up to the others who have started riding away. POV faces the nine as they ride alongside each other just behind Dooku. They gallop into the sunrise to their ship in high spirits)

 

Cut to- The entrance of the dimensional door. 

(On the temple floor near their camp.....lies the puzzlebox. In all the confusion and chaos and weariness, it has become forgotten by the group. CU of the puzzlebox. It begins to activate. Perhaps one of the students pressed the wrong button, perhaps a delayed reaction, or something else may have triggered its change. As it completes its sequence, the scene goes black, as if the puzzlebox has opened up another world. CU stays on the puzzlebox. Someone in black boots steps up to the box)

Tyranus: At last, we are free. At last, we shall have revenge.

 

(Fade to black, roll credits)

 

BONUS SCENE

 

Cut to- Senator Palpatine's chambers on naboo

(CU of Palpatine as he wakes up in his bed, as if startled by a small nightmare. He looks around for a moment, then collects his thoughts. He is interrupted by a communication signal. He activates it, but we cannot see who he is talking to)

Palpatine: Have you fulfilled your task.....Jango?

Jango: My Lord.......it is finished.

Palpatine: Good. Prepare to meet me at my estate on Coruscant. There is much work to be done. We must be ready to deal with the Trade Federation Council.

Jango: All of them?

Palpatine: All but one. Nute Gunray will prove to become very useful to us.

Jango: As you wish.

(The communication ends. Palpatine walks out onto his balcony and soaks up the early morning breeze, looking out on the city of Theed with a hint of malice)

Palpatine: So, Tyranus.....you wish to challenge me in this galaxy.....Let us begin our game.....

(Fade to black)


End file.
